Renascence
by Sneky
Summary: Ruby Rose has her regrets. Penny, Pyrrha, Yang, Roman Torchwick, Team RWBY. If only there was some way she could change it all, to save the people she lost. To stop the unnecessary deaths. To stop people from suffering. Ruby would gladly do anything, if only she could change their fates.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This diverges off of canon Volume 4 some time after Tyrian attacks team RNJR for the first time.

* * *

"Come on, Ruby, you can do this. Just wait a little longer. We aren't far off." Jaune urgently yelled into his scroll, sprinting as fast as his body would allow. Ren and Nora to his back right and left, flanking him in their desperate race against time. Hearing gunshots from the side, he pivoted and made for that direction, his teammates copying his action.

"Do- Don't do it, Jaune." More gunfire and grunts of pain from both female and male came through his scroll. "You know we can't win without Qrow."

"Shut up Ruby, with all of us together we can hold him off until Qrow gets here!"

"Ruby, don't you dare try and play hero. Just wait until we arrive." Ren voiced his thoughts, voice far more intense than his usual calm and even tone as he was running alongside Nora.

"Yeah! Just wait for us and we'll break his legs!" Nora yelled into her own scroll. None of her standard excitement and giddiness present. The shortest member of team RNJR meant business, and business she would achieve with Magnhild. She was in the leg breaking business after all, especially if it was against someone trying to hurt her friends.

"No. I won't let you guys do it, I'm drawing him away. Wait until Uncle Qrow arrives and then back him up, you can beat him with Qrow." Swishes of air and more gunfire could be heard alongside Ruby's strained voice.

"Hehehehe, you shouldn't be talking when fighting ME! I'll make you pay for what you did to my stinger!" Maniacal laughter and an insane voice came out of Jaune's, Nora's and Ren's scrolls.

Ruby's scream of agony followed suit.

"HAHAHAHA, an eye for an eye! Oh, how sweet your pain is! Mistress will delight in your sufferi-" The giddy voice was cut off prematurely as the connection to Ruby's scroll was ended from her side.

"Shit, shit, shit, we need to hurry up!" Jaune dropped the pack off his back that contained tents, Nora following suit with the rations and Ren dropping the maintenance tools.

"That monster will pay for what he's done to Ruby." Nora's voice was livid and enraged, eyes narrowed and electricity began sparking off of her body from her agitation.

"Qrow is moving here and quickly, if we get there in time we can still keep Ruby safe." Ren tracked the movements of Qrow's scroll and Ruby's own out of the corner of his eyes with his personal scroll. It was displaying the Placement Marker app. Standard issue for all Hunter scrolls, it displayed the location and aura status of anyone linked into the group. Qrow had been added into it for team RNJR after their first encounter with Tyrian, where the man had told them of his intent to capture Ruby for his mistress.

"She's low on aura though, I don't know how long she can last out." Ren's foreboding statement made them all grit their teeth and push themselves even faster.

"We can't lose another, damn it!" Crocea Mors had never felt so heavy for Jaune, not even when he first entered Beacon with no prior combat training.

"Ren, break formation and get there as quickly as you can. Nora and I will get there as soon as possible. Just divert him off of Ruby until we arrive, don't try anything else." Jaune hated his order, he was sending one of his team to possible death if Nora and himself didn't make it there in time to back him up. But Jaune's voice was unyielding and steady, not a tremor was found. It was the best decision he could make given the circumstances.

"Understood." Ren swiftly took the lead before launching forward even further, breaking Nora and Jaune's sight of him.

"Be careful, Ren!" Nora bellowed out. Ruby was RNJR's best fighter when it all came down to it, and that was even before Qrow started taking her away for training. Her flowing offense was something that Ren struggled to deal with, Nora herself couldn't even touch the younger girl and Jaune was… Jaune. Far better than he was earlier, but still somewhat behind them all in combat capability.

If Ruby couldn't hold Tyrian off, then Ren wouldn't be able to either. That scared Nora, it scared her more than anything else. They had lost Pyrrha just over half a year ago, she couldn't bare losing both Ruby and Ren in one night. Even if Ruby was the new member to their team, Nora couldn't help but bond with the young girl. Ruby had quickly grown on all the remaining JNPR members during their time as RNJR. She was so awkward around them at the beginning, trying to find her place without seeming to attempt to replace Pyrrha. It had taken a few weeks of insistence from the three of them, but eventually Ruby broke out of her shell while they traveled. Nora would freely admit that Ruby was one of the best friends that she would ever have. Kind, caring, supportive and a good person all round, Ruby was just someone Nora wished more people could be like.

"Gah, what the hell is that guy's problem? Why does he want to take Ruby? Because of her eyes? That's so stupid. He's insane! Ren and Ruby better be okay until we get there." Nora was rambling under her breath as she was dashing behind Jaune, her worries taking control of her mind.

"Just concentrate on getting there as fast we can, Nora. Stall until Qrow arrives and then we can worry about the two. We can't waste any more time, Ruby's already injured."

Nora clenched her fist, pink sparks flying off of it.

* * *

Qrow arrived, falling out of the sky and landing into a stumbling sprint along the dirt road. His damned niece, why on earth did she need to get a semblance that could boost her speed. If she had just stayed in the same spot from when Tyrian found her, Qrow would have arrived at least four minutes earlier. To a civilian or even a soldier, three minutes might not seem like much.

But in their profession, four minutes meant everything.

Qrow's eyes focused and he approached the three in front of him, drawing his weapon in its undeployed state, he sprinted at them. The dark haired boy and Ruby were fending off Tyrian's attacks, but they weren't in good shape.

Ruby was tilting her body to keep the opponent to her right at all times and held Crescent Rose in a far too loose grip. Blood was slowly dribbling from her right shoulder, the white part of her clothing stained a dark red. The boy had gashes along his arms and chest. Blood was pouring out at an alarming rate. He wouldn't be standing for much longer.

Qrow didn't slow his speed down at all as he approached, slamming his weapon into the side of Tyrian, trying to force the faunus away from his niece and her friend. Tyrian was sent flying away but gripped a nearby tree with what remained of his tail and swung back around, using Qrow's force against him.

But Tyrian didn't aim at Qrow, no, he aimed directly at the only female. The female who had lost track of him, due to Tyrian being sent to the left of her at a velocity she wasn't expecting. As she spun around to try and track the enemy, she took in an audible amount of air in a startled gasp and took a single step backwards. Crescent Rose was brought upwards by the young girl, but she was far too slow. Tyrian slammed into her.

His weapons were extended and her aura was so low it may not have even existed. Tyrian tore through her aura shields like they were paper, his blades sinking directly into her chest.

Their bodies landed in a skidding stop as one, before Tyrian leapt off of her and out of Qrow's scythe's range before making his escape to the treeline. Neither Qrow nor Ren made to pursue him, both falling to their knees at Ruby's side.

* * *

A ding set off Yang's scroll, causing her to tilt her head to the machine. Resting on her bed in the shared room of her and her sister's, whose side was sadly vacant. The crimson blankets and pillows had remained untouched since Ruby had left. Yang had moved back into their room shortly after her departure.

Not many people messaged Yang these days, only really her Dad or Qrow. Blake had ran off to Menagerie and never bothered to tell anyone anything, Weiss was apparently in forced radio silence thanks to her father, Ruby and the remaining team JNPR members hadn't messaged her since the fall of Beacon. Aside from those, Yang never really kept in contact with any other friends with her scroll, mainly preferring to see them face to face. Which had yet to happen, as she was recovering from her injuries and slowly getting used to the new arm she had.

It wasn't her Dad, he was in the kitchen. Yang could hear him fiddling with cooking utensils to prepare them dinner. It wasn't Qrow either, he only sent messages at 10pm on a Friday night these days. He was busy picking up after Ozpin last Yang had been told. Maybe Ruby had finally messaged her? Yang's expression fell, she hadn't treated Ruby great the last time she was at home. Ruby didn't deserve it at all, but she simply wasn't in the mood to deal with her younger sister at the time. Losing her arm had left her rather… Shut down. Unable to cope, unable to move on from Blake's abandonment and Weiss' forced departure. Pyrrha was dead and Ruby had been in a coma for a few days.

So yes, Yang wasn't at her best and didn't recover at all during Ruby's two week stay before leaving.

Another ding brought the blond out of her thoughts, Yang frowned in confusion and thought. It wasn't another message since her scroll would have light up again. Did she get another notification about the same message? Her flawless features fell into a grimace as she put her arm and the _other_ arm down against the bed to push herself up. Upon reaching her scroll that was resting on the bedside table, her beautiful lilac eyes widened in surprise and happiness.

It was from Ruby!

Her baby sister had finally sent a message, breaking the silence between the two for six months and three days. Yes, Yang had been counting. It was Ruby, the most important person to Yang in the world. The blond had been missing talking to Ruby, but never had the heart to contact her. She had treated her loving younger sister like… Trash when they were both recovering. Yang hadn't uttered a word to her after telling Ruby to leave, aside from saying going to Mistral was reckless and idiotic. She was so ashamed of her attitude to Ruby that she couldn't even bare to gaze at her younger sister's shining eyes. Yang wasn't worthy of it, to be treated so warmly and affectionate by Ruby after how she had treated her.

So no, Yang didn't have the courage to be the first to break the silence. Her face forming an odd mixture of both excitement and guilt, she swiped the scroll to open the message from Ruby.

Her baby sister's face popped up on screen, from the base of her neck and up until Yang could see the starry night sky above Ruby. Ruby's features were shown in the middle of the scroll.

Ruby had finally sent a message, and it was a video message at that! Yang's full lips formed a grin of pleasure, Ruby rarely sent video messages because the young girl felt that she was "way too awkward on camera" to do so. Words straight from Ruby's mouth rose into Yang's mind. It was a pre-recorded message, so Yang hit the play button that was currently transparently covering Ruby's facial features.

Her baby sister wasn't such a baby any more, Ruby's features had matured, her hair had lengthened and her eyes weren't shining full of childish innocence and naivety now. Ruby had a look of an experienced Hunter, her demeanor was so different. Yang's grin fell into a sadder smile, she had missed such a transition of Ruby simply because she was feeling too sorry for herself… She was a terrible sister.

And she would make up for it, the next time she saw Ruby. Yang vowed she would be the best damn sister in the world. Lips tugging upwards in a happier smile, Yang waited for the video to stop buffering and play. Her eyes slightly scrunched up in excitement, Ruby was finally talking to her again! So the blond waited, and the video began playing for a few seconds. Ruby wasn't speaking, only looking into the camera with a soft smile… It was so reminiscent of how Yang remembered Summer to be like.

A synthetic female voice spoke, clearly not Ruby's own.

"The Hunter shall state their name and designated number to identify after the beep."

A high pitched sound followed and Ruby's video began speaking.

" _Ruby Rose, designated number 31286"_

"Identifying Ruby Rose… Ruby Rose: Academy Student. Current Age: 16. Gender: Female. Student of: **Redacted**. Current Mission: **Redacted**. Current Employer: **Redacted**. Current Location: **Redacted**. Will Ruby Rose confirm her identity?"

" _Ruby Rose confirms her identity."_

"Reading vitals. Heart rate, blood pressure, aura state, brain waves. All within allowable parameters. Ruby Rose's identity is confirmed. State your message."

" _Well, that was a rather foreboding reading. So much redacted information. By now I'm sure you can guess what this message is about, Yang. It's pretty standard for a Hunter going on a long term mission to do, and nothing else I would want you to see would start off with such strict rules. I decided to record one every three months, so right now it's been six months since I left Patch with my new team. Qrow suggested it, I'm making separate messages for you, Dad and Weiss."_

" _I'll start off with this I suppose, I'm sorry I haven't contacted you since I left with Jaune, Ren and Nora. We call ourselves team RNJR now, by the way. I like it, better than team JNRR that Jaune and Nora wanted at the beginning. I'm sorry, Yang. So sorry. I should have tried to contact you. Well, I did. But that was via letters, and they aren't reliable at all. Especially out here, where there's no real post service. Hopefully you got them, but I'll treat this like you didn't. Though even if you did, I should have tried with my scroll. Even with the scroll reception out here it would have been possible. But I was too scared. Isn't that sad? Ruby Rose, fearless vanquisher of grimm. Too scared to contact her older sister that she loves from the bottom of her heart."_

" _The reason for it, well, you didn't leave the best impression on me when we were both at home in Patch. You stayed in the guest room, leaving our room so empty, so dark without your presence. It just wasn't right without you in there, when you're at home as well. And then when I tried to talk with you… You didn't want to talk back. The day after that, then the day after that and so on. Every day for the two weeks I was recovering, I made you meals. I made you breakfast, lunch and dinner. I brought them to the guest rooms door. I knocked on the door, placed the food down. Then I tried to talk to you. I would ask you, how are you? Is there anything else you need? Can I come in? Could you just talk to me? I would wait for five minutes at the door, every time. Every day, three times a day for two weeks. That adds up to two hundred and ten minutes. Three and a half hours I waited at the door for you to respond. Except you never did. Until I was leaving, when you told me it was reckless. Stupid even. You didn't try to stop me though. Just poked your head out of the guest room and told me what you thought of my plan. I guess Dad told you what it was, because I know I didn't."_

" _So that's why I never tried to call or message you. I guess I'm just too much of a coward. What if you didn't respond to me? What if I saw you had read the message but never replied? What if you simply didn't read the message? What if your number had been disconnected? What if I had been blocked by you? Those were the thoughts I kept having about you. I wouldn't have been able to take it. Sometimes I'm barely holding together as it is. But I understand you weren't in the right mental state in Patch. I don't blame you at all, Yang. I want you to know that. I don't hate you, I never could. Love is the only thing I could ever feel for you Yang and I hope you know that."_

" _My reasons for lack of contact aside, I'm doing well. Team RNJR is amazing, I love it. I feel so_ _guilty for that as well. I think… I think I prefer it over team RWBY. Don't get me wrong, I loved team RWBY as well… It's just… Team RNJR feels so much better. Ren, Nora and Jaune all talk to me. Like, properly talk to me. Not the type of sisterly banter you and I had, and not like how Weiss and Blake talked to me. I love Weiss like another sister, really, I do. But even after the first few weeks we had, she never really took me seriously. Neither did you or Blake. Like the Vytal Festival. When we were discussing who to put in the tournament, for some reason it turned out to be you and Weiss. I was the only one against it, to me it made no sense. The duo with the absolute least amount of teamwork would be chosen to represent the best our team had to offer. You, Yang, I understand why you would be in the finals. You're an absolute bad-ass when you get serious. But Weiss… What reason did she have to be in there aside from her own pride? We all knew you and Weiss didn't work together too well. It should have been you and I, or you and Blake. But no, Weiss had to have her way. Blake couldn't have cared less and I think you didn't vote for me because you wanted me kept safe."_

" _With team RNJR… That hasn't happened. They all listen to my input, and if it improves on what they already had, then they would make that the plan. With them, I feel appreciated. Acknowledged. Like an actual part of the team. That… That didn't really happen with team RWBY. You three didn't see me as an equal, and I can understand why. I'm just a girl that got in two years early because Ozpin took an interested in me. Because of my eyes of all things. Because of a fairy tale. The only thing I could do to match you three was fighting the Grimm. Nearly everything else, I was behind on. Our classes, Combat Class, Dust Theory, History and more. Only Weapon Design and Maintenance could I beat you three. So yes, I can understand why I wasn't taken seriously. Maybe if I was the same age as you, then I might have been. But as it was, Weiss couldn't fully trust in my abilities to lead. So the Vytal Festival happened, and you and Weiss were the chosen pair."_

" _Then there's Blake… Yang. I don't think I've ever been so mad at someone before. Even Cinder, Mercury and Emerald. They're the bad guys, it's easy to hate them. They've done so much, inflicted so much pain and misery on the world. But Blake… Ugh. I hate her so, so much. After everything we've done together, after risking our lives for her. Losing your arm for her… Yang. She has the nerve to just run away? To just leave with no contact? After everything? I'm just… So mad at her. I've never been this mad at anyone else before. Not even Mum, or Raven. Yes, I know Raven. I met her while travelling. I'll tell you more later, but right now, Blake. Blake was one of us, one of team RWBY. Part of our year level. We spent months with her, living with her, eating with her, training with her, learning with her, fighting with her. We risked our lives multiple times because of her obsession with the White Fang. You lost your arm because of her. How does Blake repay us? By running away. By leaving without so much as a note. For all I know, she could be dead right now. She could be living in a mansion right now. She could be imprisoned by the White Fang right now. But I wouldn't know. I haven't been contacted by anyone from team RWBY."_

" _I'm just… Tired of it, I guess. Team RWBY was meant to last for years. We would graduate Beacon, top of our year. We'd all go off on our separate paths, but keep in contact. Meet up at least a few times a year. Catch up and tell each other how our dreams are going, if we've achieved them or not. But that'll never happen now. Not even a week after Beacon fell did our team fell apart. Only you and I remained in contact, and even then it wasn't working. But team JNPR, what remained of it, they stuck together. They were a real team, they had each other's backs. Now, I'm a part of them. I'm so happy, so honoured that they let me in as a new member when I should have saved Pyrrha. I failed Pyrrha, I failed team JNPR. But they still let me in. They still treat me better than team RWBY did. I actually cried on Nora's shoulder after they talked to me about it. They don't blame me at all, in fact they thanked me for it. For trying to save Pyrrha when almost everyone else was trying to get away."_

" _Heh, I'm sorry, Yang. You don't need me to bring this type of mood along. Especially not when you're receiving this message. I guess I'll talk about myself now. I'm doing well, with team RNJR. Sometimes food and water is hard to come by, the towns out here aren't well stocked for travelers. It took some time to get used to sleeping outside as well, we haven't stayed indoors for months now. It's been amazing, it's almost exactly how I dreamed it would be. My combat has gotten a lot better too, Uncle Qrow has started seriously training me. After a run in with someone we couldn't touch, and even Uncle had trouble with him while we were supporting him, he decided he would fully train me. Not like how he taught me to use the scythe, but full on proper combat training. Every day for a week, every fortnight, 12 hours a day we would train. Sparring against each other, hunting Grimm, tracking prey and more. It's the most exhausting thing I've ever done. But now… Now I can make Uncle Qrow break a sweat while fighting him. I've made him use his own scythe against me and he doesn't do that unless he's really serious. I've come so far… I think I could beat even you now, Yang. But I wouldn't be surprised if you could still beat me down, that's just the type of person you are."_

" _Oh! My semblance has also… Improved. It's the oddest thing, turns out it's not really speed. It first happened during Beacon's fall… I fell off one of Atlas' airships. I managed to change direction mid-air, and went upwards to the other airship… So yeah. My body kinda turns into petals or something and I control the movement. Somehow that lets me go really fast, I dunno, Yang, I guess I retain my speed while my body loses it weight? Which lets it seem like I have super speed? I can't really explain it too well, it just kind of happens. It's opened a whole new way for me to fight though. Like one time I carried Nora through the air, at a Grimm that was like at least four stories high in the air so she could smash it in the face. Don't ask me how that works, but it did. I could kinda feel my arms around her at the time, so maybe they were formed? I guess I'll experiment with it later on. Ren would be able to notice whats going on, he just sees so many things, it's really amazing. I can time it well enough so that enemy attacks just kinda go through me as well. It's like I can feel it, but there's not any pain. Super weird for me. Speaking of semblances, Nora's semblance has improved as well. She can generate her own electricity now. It's not much past a little bit of static, but it's better than her having to take electricity from another source. Ren is, well he's Ren. More dangerous without his weapons than he is with them. Which is still really annoying for me, weapons are meant to make you more dangerous not the other way around! He spars with me as well, so I can get used to fighting actual people at that close of a range. It was really hard at first, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. Jaune still doesn't know what his semblance is, somehow. But man he has some serious aura reserves. He's an absolute tank now, even you would struggle to take some of the hits he does. Jaune's really come a long way from Beacon… Pyrrha's death hit him really hard."_

" _Ah, how could I forget. Crescent Rose, my little baby has gotten some enhancements. I added a scope, so I can actually snipe now. I remember how much that annoyed you, sniping without a scope. Heh, no scope for days. Now I properly snipe though. I also made it kind of more similar to Uncle Qrow's weapon. Yes, yes, I know how you think I have a crush on him. Or more accurately, his weapon. Well it's true, sue me. His weapon is the most awesome thing I've ever seen. Ahem, well anyway. Now the scythe blade straightens out from it's usual curve in scythe mode, so it's kinda like a halberd or spear in that form. But also, I can fully detach the blade. Now I have my own sword which I'm learning to use from Uncle. I'd say I'm about the same level as I was with Crescent Rose at the beginning of Beacon with my sword version. It's pretty fun, it's still slightly curved so I still do heaps of spins that you always wondered how I never got sick while doing. Just less flourishes and rotations of the actual weapon. At least now I can fight in enclosed spaces with my baby. Ruby Rose, proud owner of a sniper, scythe, shotgun, halberd and sword. All in one weapon. Ren and Jaune think it's ridiculous and overkill, but like Nora says; there's no kill like overkill. Insert her evil laughter here."_

" _Hmm… What else, what else? Oh right, Raven. I met her while Qrow was recovering from the fight against a scorpion faunus. Luckily enough we had some anti venom on hand so we only had to wait a few weeks for him to heal. Raven showed up during that time, middle of the night appearing out of nowhere to ask what happened to Qrow. After telling her, we had a talk. If you could even call it that... I hate her, Yang. In fact, I'm glad you weren't raised by that woman. That she abandoned you. Summer, my Mum, our Mum. That's the only mother you should ever want, Yang. Raven is a disgusting human. I don't even know if I can call her a human. She… She said she's glad that I'm not with you any more. That I only hindered your growth. She told me that she doesn't expect me to survive what I'm doing, because only the strong survive. To her, I'm not strong. I could accept that, if she wasn't saying that team RNJR would fail and die together. I_ won't _let that happen. Team RWBY fell apart under my lead, but team RNJR won't. Hell, Raven didn't even care about your arm. She called it a "good lesson" for you. To teach you that you can grow stronger. She's disgusting. I really, really hope that you aren't trying to reach out to her any more. I hope that Summer was enough for you."_

" _Heh, listen to me. Getting all moody and dark. That was Blake's thing and now it's Ren's thing. Not me. That… That's about all for now, Yang. I love you, I always will. I hope you don't forget that and can move on from this."_

" _As for me, I'm pretty okay with things as they are. Of course I miss you, Weiss, Penny and Pyrrha but aside from that… It could have been a lot worse. For me that is, I know I didn't lose much compared to you. But even so, I wish I could do it all over again. Somehow go back in time, save Penny, save Pyrrha. Save you, Yang. I just wish I could do it all again, Yang. Repeat it all, but actually succeed. Aside from that, I have no regrets in the decisions I've made. Don't go thinking that your darling, adorable little sister is down in the dumps all the time. Goodbye, Yang. I love you. It's my turn to scatter now."_

The scroll fell from Yang's limp hand, bouncing off of her bed and onto the wooden floor.

* * *

A vaguely dull, woolen sensation over her head caused Ruby to shake it like Zwei and blink several times to try and clear her vision. Bright lights, a bunch of bodies strewn around her, concrete, tar, signs and buildings blinded her for a few moments. She was in a city? On a road? But she hadn't been in a city since Vale… What the hell was going on? Scents hit her nose, vehicle fumes, garbage and smoke. Exactly how she remembered some of the lesser parts of Vale were like.

"Come on, Red, did I hit you too hard? Wanna go home and cry to Daddy and Mummy maybe? Don't start crying on me, can't handle it when kids do that." A familiar, mocking voice entered her ears. Squinting her eyes, Ruby gazed towards the speaker. White top… Bowler hat… Red hair and ridiculous mascara.

"R- Roman?" Disbelief all but tangible in her voice, her eyes widened to their full extent and she stumbled backwards, almost dropping Crescent Rose which was held in her right hand.

"Well, we're on first name basis are we? Sorry, Kiddo, you've got me at a bit of a disadvantage here. Didn't really get to do all the niceties with you before you started swinging that damn over-sized garden tool at me." Twirling his cane in one hand, he performed a mocking bow in front of her while keeping his one visible eye on her.

"Roman Torchwick, Master Thief at your service. May I know the fair lady's name?" Sarcasm and derision dripping off of his tone, he made it clear just exactly how much he valued the information he was asking for.

"Wh- What is going on?" Honest confusion and wide silver eyes from a small girl that was leaning heavily on her huge-ass scythe caused Roman to pause and properly gauge the situation. He handled it with a flair only he could. Roman Torchwick was a master of negotiation after all.

"Well, last I checked you were trying to stop me from robbing an old man. But hey, if we could skip that part, that'd be great. Talking is such a nicer option, y'know? Maybe we could even talk until my getaway gets here?"

* * *

 **AN:** Welp I finally got around to finishing volume 3 and watching 4. Enjoyed it for the most part, but some things irritated me. Like how Ruby can apparently fly now, since speed doesn't seem to be her semblance any more. Even Qrow states "Some people can burst into rose petals". So yeah, that isn't speed. Another thing is Blake's relationship with her parents get more screen time than Ruby and her crippled sister. It was amusing how Ruby's only shown reaction to Yang having her arm cut off was that one moment at Beacon. Then wham she's off with team RNJR doing the things, not a single conversation shown between Ruby, Taiyang and Yang while they're recovering at Patch. Hopefully my writing and ranting was at least somewhat readable, I feel like I might continue this. I'll try not to post one or two chapters and just leave it for who knows how long but no promises.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hi." Normal speech

' _Hi there.'_ Inner thoughts.

* * *

"Ro- Roman? H- How are you here? Is this a trick?" Ruby swept her head around, taking in their surroundings. From Dust Til Dawn with a shattered window was right behind her, Roman Torchwick- somehow alive and well- was right in front of her. Roman's henchmen were on the ground around them, all groaning in pain and discomfort. Various buildings filled out the rest of the area, with herself and Roman being in the middle of a road.

' _How is this possible? Is it an illusion?'_ Ruby fiddled with Crescent Rose out of apprehension, trying to shift it into the halberd form. Except it simply didn't transition, in fact there wasn't even the button she had installed on the frame. ' _What the hell..? Crescent Rose is like… Before Beacon?'_

"Well if you must know, Red, I got here via bullhead. You know, those flying things? That transport people around? Geez, I really did hit your head pretty hard, huh?" Roman drawled out casually, taking discreet glances at the scroll he had pulled out of his pocket while leaning on Melodic Cudgel. The girl didn't seem to be taking any aggressive actions, so he'd wait it out until he could either get away, or knock the girl out of the equation. Either or, he didn't really care. He wasn't above hitting younger, smaller girls. Neo sure had got that out of his system a long time ago. Plus this one seemed meaner than she looked and acted, that damn scythe was massive. How the hell did she even cart that thing around?

"What about you? What's a cute little thing like you doing out so late at night?" Keep the conversation going, divert her attention off of him. Wait until her guard was down and then strike. If that didn't happen, well Cinder was going to get here before any real authorities did. He still didn't know why the boss lady herself was the one piloting the bullhead, but hey. If by some miracle a proper Hunter did come along… He'd still be fine with Cinder around.

"Huh? Oh, ah, I was shopping?" Baffled silver eyes blinked confusedly at him. Damn, she was cute. Hell, Neo might be jealous of this girl. She was rather proud of the 'cute younger girl' look she could pull off to infiltrate wherever she went.

"You don't sound so sure of that, Little Red." Roman chuckled to himself, this type of banter wasn't something he expected. Maybe the more usual insult throwing, but right now it was just like two friendly acquaintances. Time to spice it up.

"Oh, hey. Those people over there know you?" He pointed at a random direction with his weapon behind her, wondering if she would take the bait. Surely she wouldn't, even with how confused she seemed…

She did. She honestly, truly did. Wide silver eyes and a confused face turned to the right and as soon as her eyes left him, he closed the gap and swung hard at her neck. Roman may not have been trained as a proper hoity-toity Hunter, but he was no slacker. He could fend off Neo for over ten minutes. He didn't know where that would rank him among Hunters, but it was no easy feat. Even Cinder's little pets wouldn't last long against Neo, although that street rat might manage to escape her. Stupid illusions. So yes, Roman was confident in his speed, his strength and his execution. He was more than enough to handle a little girl he caught unawares.

Or so he thought, until a black and red blur swung up with a gunshot, slamming into his weapon and bringing his aim above the girl's head. Not expecting any resistance, he was unable to cope with the sudden momentum and direction shift, resulting in him overextended rather dramatically. His cane came to a stop far above the girl's head, who was now frowning at him.

Apparently she couldn't even glare at him, how cute.

The back of her scythe, thankfully blunt, slammed into his chin and lifted him up off the ground for a second before he fell back down and retreated hastily. Roman stopped about seven steps away from the small girl. Bringing a gloved hand up to rub his chin, he grimaced in thought. The girl had reflexes like a champ. Like, damn, she was quick. She wasn't far behind Neo in the strength department either. He'd taken a fair hit to his aura then. What was with it with how the littlest girls seemed to have the most ridiculous aura levels? There was no other way Red or Neo could humanly hit as hard as they did without some serious aura reinforcement.

Wow, now Red wasn't even bothering to pay attention to him. She was scanning the rooftops before quickly looking back to him before switching to rooftops again. Was she looking for someone or something? Was she expecting backup? Man that'd be a pain.

"Something spooked you, Red? You're not even looking at me."

"Is the Ice Cream Girl with you?"

' _Wha- What the fuck? This random little girl knows about Neo? How? When? Why?_ '

"Sorry, Kid. I'm a thief, not an ice cream man. Not really part of my job to know who sells ice cream." Deny, deny and deny. The foolproof tactic that got Roman out of trouble many times before. And if that somehow didn't work, then you can always deny some more.

"Really? I'm sure you do, she's about this high even with heels on." Red gestured on herself, somewhere around eyebrow level. Oh boy, if Neo found out about that…

"Uses an umbrella to fight, likes kicking people. Hard to hit. Colour scheme of neapolitan ice cream. Isn't she like your minion or something?" Red was looking at him with eyebrows raised, her scythe resting upon her shoulder. Seriously, how the hell did a girl that small carry something so big? Aura was ridiculous.

"Nope, no idea who you're talking about. I'd definitely remember seeing someone like that." Roman checked his scroll once more, good, Cinder was only a few hundred metres away. Surely he could outrun this little girl. Her legs were like half the size his were. Bringing his weapon up, he launched a dust projectile at the small girl before sprinting off to a nearby ladder. His attack should keep her busy for the few moments he needed to climb and get on the rooftop where Cinder would be able to easily get him. Once he got up top, Roman rolled his shoulders and sighed exaggeratedly.

"I swear they just keep getting younger. Shouldn't she be going to bed at this time of night at her age?" Relaxing for a moment, Roman leant on his cane and started twirling a cigar in his free hand. There was only one way up on the rooftop, and that was by the ladder he was keeping his eyes on.

A burst of wind and a fluttering sound came off to the side of the roof and Roman spun around to face it. Little Red, appearing out of a flurry of rose petals? That was… Unusual. Right up there with Neo's method of getting around actually.

"Persistent kid, aren't ya?" Muttered under his breath, Roman turned as the bullhead rose above the building and focused it's lights on the kid which blinded her momentarily. Jumping aboard, Roman faced his pursuer and took a dust crystal out of his jacket.

"Nice talk we had, Red. But it's the end of the line." Throwing the crystal towards the girl, he brought up Melodic Cudgel and took aim. As he brought his finger down on the trigger, he noticed a flurry of petals disperse around the girl and milliseconds before his shot hit the crystal, he couldn't see the form of Red. The burst of light from the explosion burned his eyes, so he had to look away so his sight could recover. As he gazed back onto the roof, Roman bit back a curse as he noticed Glynda Goodwitch of all people with a glowing purple thing right in front of her. Behind the woman, Red was standing with her scythe at the ready, rose petals slowly falling back onto her figure.

Were capes in fashion now? Because both females were wearing one, fluttering in the wind behind them. Maybe he should look into it, he could definitely pull a cape off.

Goodwitch swung her hand down, and the purple thing dissolved into projectiles which launched themselves at the bullhead. The sudden impact made the bullhead shake and Roman lost his footing for a moment. Regaining his balance, he made his way to the cockpit where Cinder was trying to keep them stable in the air.

"We got a huntress and some kid."

Cinder got up immediately and made her way to where he previously was while he took her position as pilot. A sudden, unnatural storm appeared on top of the bullhead, Roman swearing as it shook even more. Then the hail burst through the glass, darting to the side, he narrowly avoided being impaled. Sounds of battle reached his ears, then his eyes widened as a fricking lance thing was launched at the bullhead. Luckily he knew how to pilot, and guided the thing along the wings and then stabilized the flight. A few moments later and with a lull in the fighting, he took off.

He was done trying to mess with little girls if this was what happened.

Between Neo and Red, he was just done.

* * *

Ruby gazed up at Glynda Goodwitch with an awed expression. Even with everything she's seen, Glynda's combat prowess was still amazing as ever. Able to use anything and everything as a weapon…

But how was Glynda here? How was Roman here? How was she… Wherever she was? The last thing Ruby remembered was Tyrian…

Glynda opened her mouth to give this young girl a stern talking to, but stopped in motion as the girl began hyperventilating with a hand brought up to her left eye. She fell to her knee and dropped her scythe, her upper body following the motion, only being supported by her right arm while her left clutched an eye.

"Mi- Miss, are you okay?" Glynda rarely let panic take hold, but as the young girl began shaking and crimson aura started seeping into the air above her, Glynda felt worried. Ruby Rose had seemed perfectly fine less than two minutes ago, and now she was on the ground, hyperventilating. That was more than reason enough for worry.

"Scroll.. Scroll.. Ozpin pick up already…" The blond dialled her boss's number hastily, bringing it up to speak into as Ozpin answered the call.

"Yes, Glynda? I'm already on my way down from Beacon." Ozpin's curious tone voiced.

"No, no, go back. Have a medical room prepared as well. I'm taking Ms. Rose up with me. Something's wrong…" Glynda's response was cut off as a series of raspy coughs came from the girl in question, followed by a wet noise of something hitting the roof.

"Oh my, even I can hear that. Very well, the medical staff will be prepared. I'll give Taiyang a call as well. I'll see you in a few minutes."

The call was disconnected. Glynda began levitating the still coughing form of Ruby and rang the pilot of the bullhead that had taken her down from Beacon. Generally, Glynda would have called the ambulance but in this case Beacon would be the better place for the young girl to recover. The medical staff there were well trained when it came to matters of aura, unlike the general public hospital. With the amount that was working it's way out of Ruby's body, it clearly had something to do with what was happening. As her bullhead halted in a hover before her, Glynda floated the now still body of Ruby onto the aircraft before leaping up inside.

* * *

"Calm down, Taiyang." Ozpin's apathetic tone did nothing to soothe Tai's nerves. The duo were in the waiting room of Beacon's medical ward. As the school was yet to start term, it was rather empty. Only the essential staff were on campus and that was only to make sure everything was ready for Beacon to officially open for the year, next week.

"Calm down? Calm down? My little girl is in there, coughing her lungs out and you won't even let me see her? I can hear her, Ozpin. I've travelled from Patch to Vale, why the hell can't I see her?" These days an honest expression of anger on Taiyang's face was rare, the man had mellowed out immensely while raising his two daughters.

"Because the last person who went in while she was awake caused her to have a panic attack and her condition worsened."

"What? Who the hell was it? They'll pay for hurting my daughter!" The look in Taiyang's eyes reminding Ozpin of when the man was younger. Not many people stood in Taiyang's way when he looked like that, and those that did… Well, they'd be lucky to be able to stand at all when the blond was done with them.

"It was me." Ozpin took a sip from his mug.

"Huh? Wh- Why? All she can ever talk about is getting into Beacon, she knows about you. So why..?" Taiyang paused in his pacing, stopping to stare at Ozpin in confusion.

"Indeed. I was rather confused myself. No one has ever reacted quite like that before. Nonetheless, I felt I should fill you in on her condition, rather than what she may say. You know teenagers, always trying to brush off their condition like it's nothing."

"What's wrong with her, Ozpin?" The deadly serious expression mixed with concern on his face caused Ozpin to crack a slight smile behind his cup. Ah, the wonders of parenthood.

"Her aura is causing the issue. As odd as it may seem, young Ruby Rose has had a rather sizable jump in the amount of aura she has. Slightly over double of what she held during her last test. This caused stress on her body, combined with her semblance, it led to issues with her lungs. She's projected to recover fully within three to four weeks." The headmaster's eyes sharpened in thought as he mentioned the aura amount of the young girl. To double in aura capacity within the time from her last check up and now… It was unheard of. A person's aura simply didn't grow that large in that amount of time. It grew over months, years. The longer an individual put their aura to use, the more it would grow. The capacity that Ruby held was rather similar to a Beacon graduate, a rookie Hunter's level. Granted, a fair amount of it could be attributed to the Xiao Long genes she held, as large aura capacities were something that family could boast about, but even so. A Signal student, two years away from graduating. Having an aura capacity standard of someone six years ahead of her...

"You think it might be because of…" Taiyang trailed off, bringing his hand upwards in a gesture towards his eyes.

"It's entirely possible. Glynda reported that young Ruby had a hand over her left eye when she collapsed."

"Summer never mentioned anything like that happening."

"Information on the Silver-Eyed Warriors is rather sparse. We simply don't know enough about them to come to a conclusion. It may differ from person to person, Ruby might hold entirely different capabilities compared to Summer."

Both Ozpin and Taiyang frowned, but their reasons differing. Taiyang out of concern for his daughter, Ozpin in thought of what that may bring for the future. Another burst of coughing broke the silence.

"Qrow is unaware of the situation. He's out of scroll reception so I'm yet to contact him. Be proud of your daughter, Tai. She halted a robbery in progress. That deserves a reward. In fact, I formally invite your daughter to become a student at Beacon. Her combat prowess speaks for itself, anyone who views the video footage would agree." Ozpin gave Taiyang a measured look that spoke for itself. They both knew the real reason he wanted Ruby at Beacon. Ruby's fighting skills would only be the cover reason. A valid one, but still not the real one.

"It'll be up to her. I have no issues with it, as long as she's recovering and won't be put under too much duress. She's still a fifteen year old girl, Ozpin." Tai had a conflicted look on his face. Fatherly instincts were pushing at him to try and keep Ruby close to his side, away from harm. She was sick, injured. Not able to fight at her full capacity. The rational, detached side told him this would be the best for Ruby, and that it's what she wanted to do. That she would be able to handle the combat anyway. As a teacher he knew for sure that while her academic grades weren't exactly up to Beacon levels, her combat ability certainly was. Qrow may be a drunk, lazy bastard, but he could definitely teach someone to use a scythe. Even sick as Ruby was, he knew she would have no issues with a few beowolves and ursa that would pop up in the initiation.

"Indeed. Aside from initiation I have no plans for her to enter combat. I'll make allowances for her to skip classes should she wish until she recovers fully. Although from what I've heard, I doubt that will stop her."

"Yeah, she got that from me. Just like Yang too." Taiyang bashfully rubbed an arm, a proud smile on his face.

"I'll leave you to it. You're welcome to stay in Beacon until Ms. Rose is discharged tomorrow. I'll set a room up for you." Ozpin rose from the seat he was on, nodding at Taiyang as he made his way to the door.

"Never mind that, Oz. I'll just stay with Ruby. I can go without a bed for the night."

"Very well. I'll drop in before you two leave. Ruby, yourself and I have matters to discuss."

* * *

Ruby was fiddling with the hem of the blanket covering her lower half. Propped up by pillows, she was gazing out the window with a dazed look in her eyes. None of this made any sense… She was back in Vale. In Beacon. Ozpin had walked through the door a few hours ago. Crescent Rose didn't have any of the modification she'd made in the past year. Roman Torchwick was still alive.

How did it all happen? None of it made sense. It wasn't possible for this to be a trick, a semblance. Only Emerald had a semblance of illusions and even then, from Ruby had put together, it was rather limited and required her full concentration. An illusion to this extent… Ruby didn't know who could possibly do that. It wasn't a dream either, because she was going through pain. In every other dream Ruby could remember, pain, without fail, would wake her up. Not to mention she was feeling tired. Feeling tired in a dream? Was that even possible? She didn't really think so. She was also extremely lucid for a dream… So she felt that being trapped in a dream wasn't the reason either.

Then there was the weight in her chest, like something was pressing down on it. Her aura, she'd been told. Somehow, someway, her own aura was putting her in harm's way. Aura was the manifestation of her soul… How on Remnant was it hurting her? It hurt just to breathe, it was almost similar to Yang's hugs when she got worried. Except worse, because Yang knew when to stop. This crushing feeling wasn't stopping, no matter what position she was in, no matter the pain killers she took. Right now the only thing she could do is hope that the medical staff were right in their estimate of how long it would take to heal. The door to her room creaked open and she snapped her attention to it.

A head of light blond hair poked it's way inside the room. Blue eyes looking at her worriedly. Her own silver eyes widened dramatically.

"D- Dad?" She hated how her voice shook, she wasn't a lost little girl any more.

"Oh, Petal, it's so good to see you're okay!" He rushed in and leant over to embrace her. Ruby returned the hug halfheartedly, not quite trusting herself at the moment. Taiyang frowned as he noticed the slight shakes working their way through her body.

"What's wrong, Rubes?"

"It's, it's just been so long…" A murmur against his chest caused him to break the hug and moved her back far enough so he could look into her eyes.

"... You saw me yesterday, Petal. You were the one who told me you can look after yourself for the weekend. Waiting for Yang to come back, remember?" His blue eyes shined with concern.

"Oh! Yeah, right, her schoolies. Sorry, Dad. It's just… So much happened."

"Heh, so I've been told. I knew you always wanted to be a hero, but damn, Kiddo. Didn't think you'd be putting a stop to the most wanted man in Vale on night one. Pretty impressive." Tai smirked at her, ruffling her hair as he finished speaking. He got up and brought a seat over to the side of her bed, where he sat down while holding Ruby's hand in his own.

"Why don't you tell me all about it, Ruby. I'm staying until you get discharged, then we're getting a hotel room until Yang arrives. So that's most of the weekend to ourselves. Sounds good right?" A cheeky grin came across his face.

Ruby's face light up with a smile so bright that it would put Yang to shame.

* * *

"So then I said; now that's a katana!"

High pitched giggling and lower pitched chuckling came through the door that Ozpin was standing behind. Knocking on it and waiting for a few seconds, he opened it. Ruby and her father were both grinning at each other, obviously enjoying their time together. They both turned to face him as one as he began entering the room.

"Hey, Oz. Good to see you."

"Good morning, Taiyang. I hope your night wasn't too uncomfortable. And it's nice to be able to speak to you, Ms. Rose." Ozpin greeted the father and daughter duo.

"O- Oh, just call me Ruby, Mr. Ozpin." Wide silver eyes gazed with wonder at him. At least she wasn't having another panic attack. Perhaps her father's presence helped?

"Then I insist you simply call me Ozpin, Ruby." He smiled gently at his prospective student. He made his way over to the empty chair, opposite of Taiyang.

"If you want." Her eyes hadn't returned to normal, so he had a clear view of those shining silver eyes. That something so innocuous as eyes held the power to decimate Grimm still astounded him.

"Apologies, but I must get straight to business. As you undoubtedly know, Beacon is beginning for the year. I would very much like it if you were one of my students this year, Ruby."

"I'd love to! Can I, Dad?" A pleading look was sent Tai's way and the man crumbled instantly. Ozpin chuckled off to the side, a potent weapon the young girl held.

"Of course, Sweetie. But only if you-" The blond was cut off as Ruby burst into a fit of coughs, covering her mouth with her elbow. Once she finished, she grimaced and looked at her father who was sending her a concerned look.

"Tissues, please." She kept her arm out of their view until tissues were passed to her. Ozpin and Taiyang could clearly see the red that stained the white of tissues.

"Are you sure, Rubes? You can always apply later." Tai's voice was soft in concern while Ozpin looked slightly worried, with his slightly creased brow.

"Later? Like next year? The year after? I'll be fine, Dad. It's just a cough. I'll be fine by myself!" Ruby crossed her arms and pouted at the man.

"By yourself? Yang won't let you out of her sight when she finds out what happened!" Tai just threw his head back and laughed. Yang's natural protective instincts and Ruby's condition, combined with the danger Beacon could bring… Mama bear Yang would be coming out in full force. As Taiyang was laughing, he didn't notice the doubtful expression that flickered across Ruby's face. However Ozpin did and an eyebrow was slightly raised in question.

As Tai simply continued to laugh, now lightly hitting his own knee out of the amusement he brought upon himself while Ruby looked like she was going through a life changing dilemma, Ozpin had to clear his throat to bring some sort of order to the room.

"I can assure you that your illness will be given proper treatment, Ruby. Aside from the initiation, I will allow you to pass on classes should you not feel up to them. However once you've recovered, I will expect nothing less than your best. Is that understood?" The headmaster's solemn voice broke the silence.

"I would love to join Beacon, Ozpin. Oh, I should be calling you professor now, right?" Ruby flashed a happy smile towards the man. He returned it with one of his own.

"Only when the school year starts, Ruby." He reached inside his jacket and brought out several forms, miraculously not creased or crumpled and passed them to the girl. "These are the papers that you and your father need to read. Nothing too dramatic, just stating a few things. I'll wait outside for you two to finish them." Ozpin stood up from his chair and walked to the door of the room before he paused.

"Ah, before I leave. I withheld the video footage of your encounter with Roman Torchwick from the public in case you wished to remain anonymous. Do you have a preference as to what I should do with it?"

"Nope! Keep it all secret like, please." Ruby popped the "p" in her nope before turning her attention to the forms in front of her. Ozpin nodded his head towards the duo and promptly exited the room.

Taiyang watched, slightly impressed with the speed that his daughter was blasting through the forms. If he remembered correctly, they weren't exactly the easiest to fill out. Though that might have just been how he was back then. It had taken Yang about half an hour to fill the forms out and he couldn't really remember how long it took him, only that it did take a while. So when Ruby was at the last page within ten minutes, he was rather surprised.

"Done already, Petal? You didn't skip anything did you? I know what Qrow tries to teach you…" He ended his sentence with a slight growl, recalling the time he caught the man trying to tell Ruby it was only cheating if you got caught.

"Like how love is for suckers and to make sure you don't give your real name to cute waitresses?" The earnest and innocent look that Ruby gave him caused the man's face to twist with horror. The two stayed like that for a moment before Ruby covered her mouth and gave out a few giggles. Taiyang slumped back into his chair and gave out a sigh of relief.

"Don't scare me like that, Ruby. I'm getting too old for this."

"You haven't even hit forty yet." Ruby laughed it off. The pen she was hastily scribbling answers down on the form paused in its movement.

"Hey… Dad?" The soft and timid voice from his youngest daughter put him slightly off balance before he recovered. The sudden shift from their good-natured bantering to now was off-putting.

"What's wrong?"

"I was… I was wondering if I could go into Beacon as…" She trailed off, a nervous look in her eyes and shifted so she was looking to the front of the room, at the door.

"You can tell me anything, Ruby. You're my daughter. I love you." Taiyang's eyes softened and he held her hand in a comforting grip.

"My.. My last name. Could it be, could I go as… Xiao Long?" Ruby's voice broke off as her question ended. Taiyang simply stared at her with wide eyes and a open mouth out of shock.

"Wh- Why would you want to do that?" His voice shuddered as he took in the nervous form of his youngest. She wasn't looking him in the eyes and she was fiddling with the pen in her right hand. For Ruby to drop the last name of Summer, something serious must have happened. Summer meant the world to Ruby, if not more. She was Ruby's hero, role model, inspiration and mother, all in one. The last name of Rose, it was Ruby's way to try and honour her mother. To continue Summer's legacy.

"Mum's gone. You and Yang are still here. I just, I don't know. Want to be like a proper family? I still love Mum, but I kinda want to be closer to you and Yang." Ruby slid her eyes shut as the words poured out of her mouth.

While it was true, it wasn't the real reason. Sure, she was tired of people never assuming that she and Yang were in fact sisters. That no one ever expected that Professor Xiao Long at Signal Academy was her father. That when she told people, they didn't believe her that she and the Xiao Long's were related until either Yang or her father confirmed it. She remembered when she was younger, trying to make friends that she had told some of her year mates that Yang was her sister. They had all laughed in her face, accusing her of lying about it. That there was no way someone as cool as Yang Xiao Long, the most popular student in Signal could be related to her. To them, all she was was a weapons nerd trying too hard to be a Hunter. They couldn't possibly see how Yang Xiao Long, and by extension Taiyang Xiao Long could be connected to her at all. She had broke down in tears as soon as that class had finished, hiding herself away behind a tree during lunch. It was one of the incidents she had never told Yang or her dad about, fearing how they'd react.

It was a valid reason, she had actually thought about it before. But now… If this truly was what she was beginning to think it could be… If her wish had somehow come true… Ruby could redo it all. She needed to be strong, stronger than she ever was before. Ruby Rose wasn't strong enough to save Penny, Pyrrha or Yang. For all the dreams and desires she held, she just wasn't strong enough to uphold them. To achieve them. But this time would be different. _She_ would be different. What better a way was there, than to begin changing herself. Changing her name.

Ruby held her eyes shut, fearing how her dad would react. A few moments later, she felt strong arms wrap around her and wetness seep into her shirt on the shoulder. Taiyang Xiao Long, one of the strongest people she knew… Was blubbering into her shoulder. Her dad was having a "manly shower of tears that he had nothing to be ashamed of because he was so proud of his daughters" moment.

"Daaaaaad, stop crying on my shoulder!"

"But, but, but I'm just SO HAPPY!"

"Use your inside voice!"

The duo were still in their embrace for a comfortable few moments before Ruby broke the silence.

"Do you think Ozpin would mind if we went into the weapon maintenance floor before we leave? I have some… Improvements to make on my baby."

"Such a weapon nut… Where did I go wrong with you?" Taiyang pulled back and brought a hand up to his face.

"You left me alone with Uncle Qrow!" Ruby chirped out the obvious answer and giggled when her father's face fell. He started muttering about how he was cool too and it wasn't just Qrow who was awesome much to Ruby's fond amusement.

* * *

The ringing of a scroll roused Ruby from her sleep. Opening her eyes, she blearily reached around for the offending object. She and Taiyang had spent the weekend at a rather nice hotel, ordering any food they wanted, at whatever time they wanted. They'd marathon-ed many movies, new and old. Played hours of Ruby's favourite game, Kung Fu Ninja Slayer Ultimate Death Battle 2, on their scrolls which she had naturally reigned supreme in. Taiyang simply couldn't keep up with the speed of her button mashing and suffered many a painful defeat. The past two days of cookies, milk and various takeaway foods were the best day's Ruby had been through for a long time. The fact is was her Dad's idea made it even better in her books. It felt like years since they'd had one of these types of weekends.

As her hand finally grasped the ringing scroll, she rolled over on the bed so she was facing away from Taiyang, who was on a matching bed. Two bedside tables were in between the beds, a simple hotel room design. The man himself was currently on his back, snoring upwards at the ceiling. His hair in even more disarray than usual, an arm splayed outwards and a silly expression on his face that twitched every so often.

Bringing the scroll up to her face, Ruby didn't notice that it was a video call. Too tired to fully open her eyes, she mindlessly swiped the screen to answer it.

"About time you finally pick up, Da- Wait, Ruby!?" A shocked, and entirely too loud voice questioned through the scroll. Ruby, still not fully awake simply groaned in response as she cracked a single eye open.

"Geez, Rubes. Not looking too hot right now, huh?" Now the voice was far too amused for Ruby's liking. Her open eye finally focused in on the figure displayed by the scroll and then both eyes widened out of shock. She dropped the scroll and scrambled upright in the bed as noises of worry and annoyance came through the speakers. As she got a grip on her racing heart, a burst of coughing came across her. Covering her mouth with one hand, she reached for the scroll which was now face-down on the bed.

"Ruby~ Ruby~" Yang's voice was calling out her name repeatedly, dragging it out longer each time she spoke. She brought up the scroll to face her, still slightly coughing and Yang's face came into view. The blond looked… Happy.

"He- Hey, Yang." Ruby's first word was cut off by her cough which settled down as she continued speaking.

"Look like you're the one who's been out partying, Sis. What's up? How come you've got Dad's scroll?" Yang had a massive smirk on her face as she questioned her sister. Ruby simply angled the camera to where their father was sleeping.

"Okay, so that answers that. But why do you look so bad right now? And why were you coughing? You don't get sick easily." Yang's voice held a slight tinge of concern and Ruby groaned, already feeling the protectiveness that would take over Yang when she found out. The last time Ruby had been sick, Yang had done anything and everything she could to try and make Ruby feel better. That included all of the methods their Dad usually used, as well as methods Yang had searched online. It was easily one of the most degrading weeks Ruby had gone through, under her loving sister's tender care. She wasn't even allowed to feed herself for crying out loud.

"Me and Dad are waiting in Vale for you to get here. You come back later today, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's why I called, managed to get here earlier than expected. I'm kind of waiting to get picked up right now." Yang gave a sheepish chuckle and rubbed the back of her head. With her right arm.

 _Right arm._

Ruby's eyes stared, slightly widened at Yang displayed on screen.

"Remnant to Ruby, you there? Been staring at me for a few seconds and it's kinda getting weird."

"Wha- Oh, yeah, right. I'll wake Dad up and we can come get you. Message where you are." Ruby blinked her attention back, and her smile softened. Eyes taking on a fond expression.

"Missed you, Yang."

"Can't blame you, Sis. I am pretty awesome. Must have been a real boring month without me, yeah?" Yang had a grin on her face, her smugness even noticeable through the scroll.

"I wouldn't say that, believe me, I've got something that'll shock even you."

"Please, it's only been a month. What on Remnant could you have been up to? You're you." The blond's voice held only disbelief to it. Ruby never, never did anything that could surpass what she did when it came to surprises. Ruby was just too… Nice.

Yang would never admit it, but the extremely smug grin on her younger sister's face did in fact put her on edge.

* * *

 **AN:** The second chapter in record time. Don't know if this pace will keep up. So yes, Ruby traveled back in time. Don't ask me how because even I don't know. She went back and her aura went back with her, leading to an uncomfortable amount for her body to handle. She was only meant to have that much in over twelve months time, after all. Like it said in the chapter, it won't be a lasting condition. Ruby also won't be unaffected by the events she's gone through, so she may be a bit biased or fearful towards certain things and people. Also, schoolies is something in Australia that highschool graduates go on to celebrate graduating. Usually a large amount of alcohol is involved and it lasts for several weeks. I just can't imagine Yang not doing something similar.


	3. Chapter 3

Yang was waiting on the footpath, leaning against her motorbike as Ruby and Taiyang turned the corner. A few seconds later blond met blond in a hearty impact, arms wrapping around each other. Yang and Taiyang embraced one another, Yang's face resting against his shoulder while his chin sat atop her head. Both were smiling softly, reunited after a month. Taiyang pulled back and ruffled Yang's hair to which she grimaced but accepted dutifully. They remained in a one armed embrace as Taiyang grinned at her pained face.

"Nice to see you again. You didn't do anything too outrageous did you?" The emphasis he put on 'too' let Yang know he wouldn't be surprised either way.

"Nope. Just travelled around with a few friends. You didn't miss me too much did you?" Yang returned the emphasis on 'too' with a impish grin of her own as she bumped her hip against his.

"Of course I missed my little dragon, but I know a certain someone who missed you more~" He dragged out the last word while a smile and a quick tilt of his head to the side made Yang shift her attention to the other member of her family. Ruby's timid look, downwards eyes flitting up every so often, an unsure look across her face and hands fiddling with her skirt made Yang pause in consideration for a second before a large smile came across her face. She let go of Taiyang and launched herself towards her younger sister. She collided with the smaller frame of Ruby and they both tilted precariously before Yang picked Ruby up in a tight hug.

"Aww, did little Rubaby miss me~?" Yang cooed out while swinging Ruby around. Taiyang was openly laughing at the duo, doing nothing to help his youngest who was flailing her arms about in a panic.

"D- Don't call me that, Yang!" Ruby's face was flustered but pleased, something that made their father laugh even harder.

"Nuh-uh, you'll always be my baby sister no matter how much milk you drink." Yang finally set her down, grinning at the frazzled state of Ruby who was trying to settle her hair back down into it's usual state. Her sister paused in her movements for a split second before continuing flattening her hair. Lilac eyes narrowed as she actually looked down onto Ruby's face.

"Hey, what's up with you, Rubes? Looking kind of pale. Paler than usual I mean." Yang leant in and rested her palms on Ruby's cheeks which were slightly puffed out of indignation. "I know you said you have a cough, but this seems more than that."

"You should tell her. Better now than later."

Yang looked over to their father who had his arms crossed and a light frown on his face. The sudden shift from laughter to seriousness sent a thrill of concern through her. Lilac eyes snapped back to Ruby, who was now openly fidgeting and looking anywhere but at Yang.

"It's nothing serious… I'll be fine soon." The rebellious mutter was picked up by the ears of both blondes, causing matching concerned frowns to appear.

"Ruby, what's wrong?" Yang questioned with a soft tone, not wanting to upset her. Palms still on her sister's cheeks. The youngest heaved a sigh before answering, looking into Yang's eyes with her own silver while reaching up to grab the hands resting on her face.

"I fought a criminal robbing a dust store, it was Roman Torchwick. Something went wrong with my aura during it, so now I'm sick for a while. Oh, I also got into Beacon. I'll be going with you this year." Ruby's voice was small, as if expecting harsh words.

Yang blinked. Hands falling from her sister's face, her mouth opened as if to answer but she paused and blinked again to process what she had just heard.

"You weren't joking before, were you?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. Ruby really did shock her this time.

"We've talked to the headmaster, he will make allowances for her condition. Ruby will be fine in a few weeks unless she pushes herself to hard. I hope you'll be able to make sure she doesn't, Yang?" Their father broke in, moving close enough to put a hand on both their shoulders.

"Wait, her condition? That sounds like more than just a cough?" Yang shifted her eyes between her father who was unusually serious and her sister, who was unusually timid.

"What Ruby conveniently left out is that her aura and semblance are causing issues for her. She has issues breathing, feels like her chest is being is being constricted and has been coughing up blood." Taiyang gazed down at his eldest, whose face was horrified.

"Her aura is doing that? How is that even possible? Why are you letting her go to Beacon like this?" Yang turned to Ruby with wide eyes before looking back at her father, eyes gaining a red tinge.

"Relax, Dragon, relax. Ruby, Ozpin and I talked about it. She'll be fine, you know Ruby can handle a few Grimm. She's not too far behind you in that regard." He brought his hands up in a disarming motion. Taiyang ignored the question about how it was happening, that was a whole other topic. That neither girl needed to know right now.

"That's not the point! What if she gets hurt because she's sick? What if she gets bullied? What if she can't keep up? She's only fifteen!" Yang's eyes were fully red, her heated questions drawing attention from passersby even though she wasn't yelling.

"Well, you'll be there, right?" The simple response from Taiyang stopped her short. Her eyes flickered for a moment before returning to their normal lilac. Yang opened her mouth before another voice cut her off.

"I want to do this, Yang. I will do this. With or without your approval." Both blonds turned to face the youngest with varying degrees of surprise. The determination shown by her was nothing new, but the resolve to do something that Yang didn't approve of was quite new. Usually the two would support each other unless one decided the other was doing something that was just went too far, or was too dangerous. Their bond was just like that. For Ruby to take a serious stand against Yang, that was certainly unusual.

Taiyang wasn't too surprised, he knew what being a Hunter meant to Ruby. It was more that she was openly opposing Yang, vocally doing so. He would have expected Ruby to shy away from her sister, go to him for support over the matter. But no, she was standing up for herself. Maybe she really was maturing, with her dream finally being so close to fulfillment. Yang however, looked Ruby with wide eyes. Wasn't it just a bit over a month ago that Ruby had run to her asking about what food Zwei would want most? She needed approval of what a dog would like eating, and now she was standing her ground against her? It was extremely rare for Ruby to disagree with her when she got emotional, when her eyes shifted and her tone heated. Yang could only recall one time in fact, and that was when she brought up that maybe a cape wasn't the best thing to wear when fighting Grimm.

"Fine, fine, I know you won't stop. I'm just worried about you." Yang's stance softened and she gave out a tentative smile. Ruby gave a soft smile back. Taiyang wrapped his arms around both girls and dragged them into his sides.

"Right then, come on girls. Let's drop Yang's bags and bike off and go do some shopping. I know Ruby's looking for some new clothes."

Yang perked up at the mention of clothes. Maybe she could pick some out for her sister?

* * *

Yang was now sitting down on a wooden seat that was attached to a wall, waiting for Ruby to come out of the changing stall. The trip to the hotel and dropping off her luggage had let her cool down, making idle conversation with her father while Ruby was walking ahead of them. Currently they were in one of Vale's many shopping centres. Ruby had split from the duo, Yang decided to follow, and made her way into a clothing shop. Yang recognised the name as there was one in Patch too, but she'd never been in it before. The clothing in stock… Wasn't exactly her style. Dresses, skirts, corsets, stockings, things with frills and laces. Not exactly what Yang was into wearing. But it was perfect for Ruby. So when said little sister grabbed some clothing Yang didn't quite manage to see, she decided she'd wait for Ruby to come out. Clothing was an important part of life after all. While Ruby had a fairly good sense of fashion for someone who didn't particularly care, Yang had taken it upon herself to judge whether it was wearable or not.

When Ruby finally came out, Yang's face twisted.

The white cotton blouse, skirt and forearm guards weren't an issue. No, the issue was the belts. Lots and lots of belts. Around her arms and shoulders were brown belts with obvious silver buckles that stood out immensely. Then there was the red belt was around her chest.

A _belt- strap- thing_ was around her _fifteen year old_ little sister's chest.

Not only that, but there was also a entirely exposed region of her chest. Luckily it was a bit above where it would be considered indecent… But even so. The customary corset hadn't changed, but the laces had come up even further. All the way up to that damn belt around her chest. Yang's gaze drifted lower, and one of her lilac eyes twitched. Ruby's stockings now ended lower, lower than her skirt. Creamy, pale thighs were on display, filling the gap between stocking and skirt. The boots had changed too, no longer did they have red laces. No, now they had buckles. Multiple buckles, running all the way up and down the boots. Yang closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She always knew Ruby had… Different tastes in clothing to her, but this was something else. Her sweet, innocent little girl, naive to all the world's darker ways… Looked like she came straight out of a fetish store. Yang quickly turned her head around to check. No, they still were still in a normal, perfectly family friendly store.

"Oh, Yang. I didn't know you wanted to buy clothes too." Ruby's voice broke through Yang's mental breakdown.

"Ruby… These are your new clothes?" Yang choked out a response, her right hand clenching the seat she was on to the point where her knuckles were white.

"Oh, right! You never saw this outfit. What do you think?" Ruby questioned with a subdued tone before doing a twirl for her sister. Yang's eye twitched again as the skirt rose up slightly from the movement, revealing even more thigh.

"It's… Lovely. But why all the belts?" Yang forced out through gritted teeth and an equally forced smile accompanying her question. Somehow Ruby bought it, as a bright smile and happy silver eyes were directed her way.

"Oh, they're just straps for a backpack. Why'd you ask?" Ruby tilted her head and Yang received the full blast of 'innocent Ruby; pose number three'. Yes, Yang had started naming and numbering them over the years. She could swear that Ruby deliberately practised the looks to see which ones worked best, because her younger sister used them to devastating effect. Each and every time.

"Just… Wondering." The blond responded with her gaze narrowed on the straps. She would be beating off anyone whose eyes drifted anywhere below Ruby's face. Maybe even Ember Celica would get involved. Ruby was still too young to be having any of that kind of attention… Even with how she was dressing. No, Ruby would stay innocent for as long as Yang had a say in it, and as her sister… Well, it would be Long indeed.

"Yang, why do you have a stupid grin on your face? Ugh, you made a pun in your head, didn't you?"

"Hey, my puns are great! Xiao Long as you have a sense of humour~"

* * *

Ruby was lying back on her bed in the hotel room, browsing through her personal scroll. It was missing quite a few things, namely photos, but she would make sure to replace them. Taiyang had gone down to get a few drinks, since room service wasn't currently available. Yang was in the bathroom, humming a tune to herself that Ruby easily recognised. A few moments later the blonde opened the door and strode out before stopping to strike a pose in front of her sister.

"Am I hot or what?" She grinned and flicked her hair out with a hand. Ruby looked up from her scroll and gave Yang a quick once over. She was in exactly what she wore during the first part of Beacon.

"You've always looked good, Yang. Are you going out?" Her silver eyes focussed back onto her scroll. Yang deflated at the lack of reaction, although she still held a slight smirk. She knew she looked good, and she knew that Ruby knew she knew. Yang shook her head slightly at that train of thought. Too many 'knews'.

"Yeah, just gonna go meet someone before we go back to Patch. I'll be back in a few hours so don't bother worrying about anything." She walked over to Ruby and ruffled her hair and smiled at the look Ruby gave her. After that she began making her way to exit the room. Ruby followed her movement with slightly narrowed eyes, trying to remember what Yang would have done in Vale. It came back to her and she called out to her elder sister.

"Try not to start a fight or anything, Yang. Beacon starts a week, we can't get in trouble now." Her voice held a large amount of concern, she remembered Yang bragging about fighting twins and a bunch of guards at a club. Sure, nothing bad happened last time, but what if the owner actually decided to press charges?

"Heh, is that what you think of me, Sis?" Yang let out a light chuckle as she stopped at the door, turning to face Ruby. The blonde paused at the actual concern shown on her sister's face.

"Yang…"

"Fine, fine. I won't start any fights. But if they swing at me, you know I'll hit back." Lilac eyes were rolled in amusement. Her sister really was such a worrier. "Anyway, I'll see you in an hour or two. You and Dad don't have to stay up. In fact, you go to sleep. You need your rest now, Ruby."

"Call me if you need any help." Ruby completely disregarded the last part of Yang's sentence.

Yang shook her head in fond exasperation before flipping a wave as she walked out the door.

* * *

"Well it's your lucky day, Junior. A cute little girl specifically asked me not to start any fights." Yang gave a cocky smirk to the large man. Here she was, a sole woman threatening him inside his own club and saying the only reason she wasn't following through was because of another, small girl. That would definitely hit his ego, and if his physical size was any indicator, he would have one hell of an ego.

"So what's stopping me from tossing you out, Blondie?" His eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

"Well, for one, I'm a Hunter. Going to Beacon actually. Those two twins look like they'll be the toughest, but I'm sure I could take 'em. You sure you want to try that route?" She took a sip of her drink and returned to smirking as the man's face paled slightly. Good, he knew she was serious. Pointing out his two strongest henchmen without even putting in any effort let him know she was for real.

Junior clicked his teeth in distaste. He didn't mess with Hunters for a reason. "What do you want to know? I'll tell you, but then you're out. Never bother coming back either."

Yang put down her drink and sat up straighter. Reaching into her jacket, she brought out a picture. Disturbingly red eyes glared up and into his sunglasses. "Everything you know about this woman."

* * *

The door opening jerkily alerted Ruby to her sister's return. Their father was sprawled out over his bed, having gone to sleep not long before. Ruby placed her scroll down on a bedside table and turned on the nearby lamp. Soft golden light enveloped the room, causing Taiyang to shift and turn his head the other way. As Ruby's gaze found her sister, silver eyes widened and then crinkled out of concern. Yang wasn't the happy person Ruby had been seeing since the morning. Now she reminded the younger girl of how she was while they were both recovering at home in Patch. The lost look, the silence, the pained eyes. Yang wasn't even looking at her, she was just staring at the sleeping form of their father.

"Oh, Yang…" The redhead trailed off in sadness. Lilac eyes jerked towards her before they widened.

"I- I thought I told you to sleep." Yang's eyes moved from her and back to their father. She stayed there for a moment before moving to sit on the foot of the bed Ruby was on. The younger sat up and moved to embrace her older sister, arms around her stomach and resting her head on the back of the blonde's shoulders.

"Do you want to talk?" Ruby questioned with a soft tone. The motion of Yang shaking her head gave her the answer. Slight shakes then began working their way through the blonde's body. Ruby frowned sadly. Seeing Yang like this again… It wasn't at all what she wanted. Her mind flashed to when she had seen Yang and Blake on the ground. Silver eyes clenched as she dispelled the images. They opened again and took in her sister's form.

"Come on Yang, you need some rest." Ruby gently began to pull her elder sister down onto the bed. She received no resistance and the blonde fell back onto her back beside Ruby, who was resting with her knees to one side. She smiled gently and brushed the fringe out of Yang's eyes.

"I won't make you say anything, but I'll listen to you if you do want to talk." The soft, caring voice and the gentle comfort of Ruby's presence calmed Yang down quicker than anything else would be able to.

"Nah, don't worry Ru. I just need some rest." Yang attempted to return to her normal bravado, but it didn't last as she gazed up into her sister's eyes. "Come on, I'm meant to be looking after you. You're the sick one." Yang huffed out the last part with an exaggerated pout. Ruby giggled slightly in response before pulling the bedding up and over Yang. She then made to get up and off the bed before an arm was wrapped around her waist, taking her back down onto the bed.

"Where do you think you're going? There's no other beds." The arm remained around Ruby's waist as the smaller girl twisted to look at Yang.

"I was going to sleep on the couch?" Silver eyes blinked confusedly.

"Nope, no couch sleeping. You're here with me, unless you want to share with Dad?" They both turned to look at their father who was now twitching in his sleep with various body parts sprawled out, covering his entire bed. Identical grimaces came across their faces at the sight.

"Are you sure? The couch looks fine."

"You're my sister. It's nothing we haven't done before, it'll be just like old times. My own cute, warm little teddybear~" Yang raised the covers to make room with a teasing smile. Ruby flushed, pale cheeks turning a colour to match her cape. Nonetheless, after turning the lamp off she slid in beside Yang with a content hum, lying flush with her sister's side.

"I… I've missed you, Yang." The darkness hid her vulnerable expression.

"I was only gone a month and we talked at least once a week, Ru." Yang tilted her head so it rested against Ruby's and closed her eyes. The younger didn't make to respond, simply keeping quiet.

"But… I guess I know what you mean." If Yang could see her sister's face, she would have been extremely alarmed by the mix of joy and pain that her statement brought.

The following morning the sisters awoke to a gushing Taiyang, scroll in hand and it's camera flashing at speeds never before seen.

* * *

Ruby gazed up at their home. Nothing had changed since she last saw it. Well, that was a lie. Some flowers hadn't grown yet, the trees weren't as large as she could remember. It was completely surreal, that she could remember the future. The future that was her past, and yet it was now her future as well? She shook her head, those kinds of thought would get her nowhere. All she needed to focus on was getting stronger. Strong enough to make a difference, strong enough to save the people she held dear. Her eyes shifted towards her sister. Yang, she was just so… Happy now. All smile and cheer, her emotions were showing as clearly as the sun shined. It was a far cry from the state Ruby had last seen her in. To deal with such a shift, to deal with the worry and concern and smiles and grins and hugs… It overwhelmed her. She was sure that her father and sister had noticed it, but she wasn't completely all there. She felt dazed, almost like she had just woken up from a long rest.

She wasn't so out of it that she noticed the argument that her sister and dad had, with various gestures and looks towards her. Had she done something wrong? Maybe Yang was still upset about her getting into Beacon. She hadn't made such a fuss last time round, maybe it was just worries over her aura. Which still pained her, she could admit. She wasn't any where near full strength, even walking around the shopping centre had caused a slight issue. Having to pause and lean on a nearby railing with Yang hovering over her shoulder, now that was embarrassing. A few people had even come up to them both and asked if they needed help.

At that point she could understand why Yang had been so worried, why she was so worried. If she couldn't even handle walking down a shopping centre, what would happen if she was caught by some Grimm? But luckily enough, she knew Ozpin would be watching her. She rather doubted that he would allow her to get severely injured during initiation. Uncle Qrow had said she was special and she knew Uncle Qrow and Ozpin worked together, with Ozpin being the leader. If Qrow had said she was special, then Ozpin would agree. But even despite her uncle's claims… She still didn't know what made her special. Apparently she froze the dragon Grimm, but she couldn't remember a single thing after the pure whiteness. Maybe she could ask Ozpin about it? Or maybe her Dad would know. But then again, her father had never spoken to her about it. Maybe he just didn't know? Ruby frowned in thought. It was already turning out to be more complicated than she'd thought. Approaching Ozpin seemed to be the best bet. If that failed, then wait until Uncle Qrow showed up. Or even try to contact him earlier. Things were already different that how she originally remembered. She just hoped that nothing major or bad would come of the differences.

"C'mon, Rubes. You can help me unpack. Then you're gonna do my hair. I've been roughing it out for a month, I deserve some pampering." An arm wrapped rather tightly around her shoulders and brought her flush with Yang's side. Snapped out of her thoughts, she turned her gaze to Yang's face. The blonde's held an unapologetic grin and dancing eyes.

Ruby let out a groan and brought her hands up to cover her face. Taking care of Yang's hair took up to nearly an hour when she wanted it done properly. Yang and Taiyang both let out nearly identical laughs. They both knew how much Ruby enjoyed "pampering" Yang. That is to say, she didn't, but she loved Yang enough to go through it.

"Don't worry kiddo, I'll be having her do your chores around the house until you're off to Beacon. Only seems fair given she missed a whole month of hers." Taiyang ruffled Ruby's hair before he unlocked the door and entered their house. Ruby made to follow, but Yang still had her arm around her. The blonde had a conflicted expression as Ruby turned her gaze. Slowly Yang shrugged and moved forward with Ruby in tow.

"Eh, you'll just be taking _real_ good care of my hair, Sis."

* * *

"Now, where's my darling little Ice Cream?" Roman strode through the warehouse, making his way past various White Fang grunts who were milling about. Pausing, he gazed around the open area. No sign of any pink to be seen. He gave out a hum of thought before he spied someone.

"Perry, the man himself! Seen Neo around?" Roman swaggered up to the startled faunus and brought an arm around his shoulders.

"N- No… And my name isn't Perry…" The faunus mumbled out the last part but Roman had already moved on. The fashionable man muttering under his breath as he stalked onwards. Sometimes 'Perry' wondered who _really_ took after animals. None of his fellow White Fang members could match the predatory movements of Roman and his little partner.

"Neo~ Oh Neo~" Roman sang out while walking around. A few moments later he stopped and stood against a large crate. Not long after, he heard a faint sound and looked up to the top of the crate, where the person he was looking for was sitting with one leg over the other, parasol in one hand and a smirk on her face.

"Just the person I was looking for. How have things been?" Roman looked up at her as he fished around for his lighter, cigar already in hand.

Neo tilted her head and shrugged, moving her free hand in a dismissive motion.

"Well, that's good, that's good. Nothing you feel like telling me about?" Roman moved his gaze off of the girl and onto his cigar, forcing Neo to jump down and land beside him. The multicoloured girl rose both eyebrows as their gaze met before shaking her head.

"Oho? You don't think making a little friend is worth mentioning? Especially when said friend is a Huntress?" The thief sarcastically bit out. Neo grimaced as the smoke hit her face but kept her gaze on Roman's. After a few moments she offered a shrug and a tilt of her head.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" Roman sighed after he watched neo for any signs of deception. "Well, we have something interesting on our hands. A+ girl knows about you. How you fight, that we work together, what you look like and probably more knowing our luck."

Neo's eyebrows had risen up into her fringe, one eye turning white while the other remained brown.

"No, I don't know if it's a real threat right now. It only means you can't expect to remain unknown. Not that that's an issue for you though." Roman puffed out some smoke, causing Neo to wave a dainty hand in front of her nose.

"But we'll definitely have to take a look into her. Someone unknown knowing details about you… That's an issue." A smirk made it's way onto his features, while a menacing grin grew on Neo's.

* * *

 **AN:** Well I did say update rates would be going down. Surprised I managed this tbh. Anyway, hope it was enjoyable-ish.


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